[Interesting analysis of the current flu outbreak from The Huffington Post. Notice how even human disease sets establish our common link to one another across class and income lines! Lessons??? LJ]
Flu In Poor Communities Shows Inequality Of 2013 Outbreak
Posted: 01/14/2013 6:47 pm EST
The 1918 flu killed more poor people than rich. The
same affinity for inequity may be raising the 2013 flu's toll -- on the rich
and poor alike.
Boston health officials have reported that low-income communities are
bearing the brunt of the city's outbreak.
"What you see with flu activity is the same as what we see
with health outcomes in general. Unfortunately, communities of color and
low-income communities tend to share a disproportionate effect," Nick
Martin, a spokesman for the Boston Public Health Commission, told The
Huffington Post.
But as experts warn, such a disparity may not only be an issue
of social
justice. Elevated rates of the flu in poor communities may threaten
the health of people who live in wealthier communities as well.
"We've found that getting lower-income neighborhoods
covered with vaccines benefits higher-income neighborhoods," said Bruce
Lee, an infectious disease expert at the University of Pittsburgh and lead
researcher on a 2011 study of access to flu vaccines.
Based on computer simulations of 7 million "virtual
people" in the Washington metropolitan area, Lee's team found the fewest
infections at an epidemic's peak resulted when flu shots were allocated to the
poorest counties. Delaying vaccinations in the poorest counties also increased
infections among the wealthiest.
"This drives home the fact that we are all connected,"
Lee said.
To read the entire report click here.
